The three primary approaches used to clean commercial and residential carpet involve steam or hot water, foam and "particulate" systems. The latter two are often referred to as "dry" systems since (unlike carpet cleaned with steam or hot water) the cleaned carpet is ready for use immediately after cleaning with such systems. Particulate systems are further divided into categories involving a dry (or substantially dry) powder and involving granules, most of which are substantially larger than a powder grain. The granules are moistened with cleaning solvents for dirt removal. The leading particulate system, the HOST.RTM. dry extraction system, was developed by Racine Industries, Inc. of Racine, Wis., and involves use of its HOST.RTM. extractor SPONGES.RTM. carpet cleaner.
Aspects of the HOST.RTM. system involve application of HOST.RTM. extractor SPONGES.RTM. carpet cleaner to carpet fibers using a machine like that shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,842,788 (Rench et al.) and 2,961,673 (Rench et al.). Cleaning relatively large areas of carpet in this way is efficient. The "setup" time is relatively short compared to the time actually spent in cleaning and the areas are sufficiently large to permit easy machine manipulation. And most important, large soiled areas of the carpet are thoroughly cleaned.
However, it is common to find carpet which has only one or a few small spots caused by, e.g., a dirty shoe or a food or beverage spill but which is otherwise relatively clean. And there are carpet installations where it is either not possible to clean the carpet using machine techniques or is not practical because the setup time is disproportionate to the amount of time needed to remove the spot.
Examples of the former include carpets in mobile homes, boats and recreational vehicles, to name but a few. An example of the latter is carpet in an elevator; a spot can be easily removed using a machine but such removal can take an inordinate amount of time unless performed along with large-area cleaning. Large-area cleaning as in an office building or the like is usually performed on an other-than-daily basis, i.e., weekly. But spots can and do appear daily, perhaps even hourly in an area like a cafeteria.
In recognition of frequent, localized carpet spotting, Racine Industries, Inc. has offered a HOST.RTM. spotting kit for some time. Such kit includes a handheld brush with a curved face used to apply HOST.RTM. extractor SPONGES.RTM. carpet cleaner for localized small-area spot removal. Such brush has bristles of but a single stiffness and because it is used in the "hands-and-knees" position, some are reluctant to use it.
Ordinary, tightly-tufted brushes are not the solution. Granular carpet cleaning product "packs" or "bridges" between the tufts and when that occurs, the bristles cannot bend and move properly and the cleaning ability of the brush is seriously impaired.
Clearly, there is a widespread need for a new product and method for quick, easy removal of carpet spots using low-cost, easy-to-store components which can be used while standing erect and are configured in recognition of the differing characteristics of carpet fibers and piles. As will become apparent, the invention responds to that need in a unique way.